October News, part 3, 2001

michaeljasper.net

"Another Wrecked Web Site"

Oct 21, 2001

Adding the finishing touches... almost there...

Now Playing:

"O Brother Where Art Thou" Soundtrack

Well, we're back from Myrtle Beach. Whew. Lots of good food and some swimming (and yes, I did do the Lazy River, even if the water was about 50 degrees...) It was quite nice, getting away for a while, though Elizabeth and I missed the pets and were glad to get back. At least I was -- Elizabeth isn't too crazy about going back to school. The last few weeks have been nuts for both of us.

I managed to re-read all of The Last of the Hand on Thursday and Friday, marking up my printouts and figuring out all that needs to be fixed. Lots of little things, mostly, and the last few chapters especially need some tweaking.

I was hoping to get it all done today and sent back tomorrow, but it will have to be Thursday or so. This stuff always seems to take longer than I'd planned. Plus I took a break from work work work for a while, something I've needed to do for quite a while, and I should have more energy for the final fixes by tomorrow. It's gonna be rough, heading back to the Day Job tomorrow. Oh well... Later.
mjj

Oct 17, 2001

Have I got a proposal for you...

Now Playing:

"Songs from an American Movie, part 1," Everclear

Today's Quote:

May the fire be your friend
And the sea rock you gently
May the moon light your way
'Til the wind sets you free.

-- Shriekback

Howdy. Slept in this morning, and man was it awesome. We're going out of town for the next four days, so we were pet-less as of last night (it's a long story, but Elizabeth's mom took Whit to the kennel along with her basset hound Daisy this morning, so we brought the pets over last night -- Pumpkin's on his own the rest of the week with Judy's cat Samson, in a sort of feline boot camp). I never realized how poorly I sleep with the pets -- if Whit's not howling at the moon from one of his nightmares, Pumpkin's sleeping on or near my head or licking my face so I'll get up and feed him.

So yeah, I slept in. I was going to get my novel proposals all written, but it just didn't happen. No time. I'll try and mess with them some more this weekend at the beach. But I don't plan on working the whole time. Probably a couple hours each day. The thing is, I don't consider writing working. It's hard to explain. It's just something I feel compelled to do, and something that I feel grumpy about if I don't do it.

In web-surfing news, I found the website for one of my favorite bands today -- Big Head Todd and the Monsters. I was trying to find out if they were even still together, but it sounds like they are, and have a new album finally coming out, the first in 4 years. That's good to hear We've seen them live 2 or 3 times now (live music again!). "Midnight Radio" and "Sister Sweetly" are awesome albums.

On that note, I'm outta here. Have a good rest of the week and talk to you later.
mjj

Oct 16, 2001

Another quick change o' plans...

Now Playing:

"Still Life," The Connells

Today's Quote:

In my life I’ve been called a thief, a spy, a traitor, a warlock, an inhuman, and a murderer. All but one of those titles I will accept. I have lived long and played many roles inside and outside -- and mostly outside -- of the City. I have not cut my beard in twice the decades that you have been alive to draw breath. Yet, after all these years, I still feel the shame and anger that comes from being an exile, a ghetto dweller. I leave it up to you to decide which title does not fit me.

For I am dying, and such distinctions matter not a bit to me any longer. I find this knowledge, among all else that I have learned in this life, to be immensely reassuring.

Well, to start with, the concert last night was sort of a bust. It's tough staying out late at my advanced age (ha!), especially in a hot, factory-like building like the Ritz here in Raleigh, with college and high school kids crowding around and blowing their cigarette smoke in my face. I'd be much happier listening to them on the radio, or just taking a nice nap...

Which makes me wonder -- why do we need to see music live? What's the big deal? Is it that much better actually getting to see the folks who make the music we like? It never really sounds the way we're used to it sounding, so it's either better or worse. Hmm... I guess it's that human interaction element we like. But at the same time, I get really tired of crowds and being that close to other people. Especially if they are smoking or being stupid, or both.

Other than that... The concert was a bit boring. The D was good, but sort of same-sounding after a while. There's only so much you can do with two guys and their acoustic guitars. I won't even talk about the opening act called BandWay other than to say that they made my fictional band Basskick look really really good. Like Beatles good.

So I'm dragging a bit today, but not as badly as I'd feared. I've been buoyed up (did I spell that right??) once again. I had an agent email me, asking to see the rest of The Last of the Hand, along with any other novel proposals I may have. Yeah baby!

So I'm going to go over the fantasy novel one last time this weekend, just to make sure it all holds together and I didn't leave anything out. I plan on getting it in the mail next Monday.

And as for proposals, well, I got a ton of 'em! I have three works in progress I plan on sending in: The Wannoshay Cycle, The Ghetto Dwellers, and The All-Nations League. All of a sudden, I'm totally focused and know what I need to do! I have outlines in progress for all three proposals, and I'm most excited about the newest one, The Ghetto Dwellers, which has sort of sprung out of the conversations I've been following with other writers about the new kind of fantasy that we need these days. I keep on jotting down notes about this one. It's going to be cool. I even have the first 2 paragraphs written (see my Quote, left).

So things are going well again. Even better now that I have a 4-day weekend coming up. Should be fun! Lazy river, here I come! Later.
mjj

Oct 15, 2001

The kid is back, up at 5 a.m. again...

Now Playing:

"Whatever and Ever Amen," Ben Folds Five

Today's Quote:

After helping his father with the evening milking and walking back to the house under a blue-black sky already littered with stars and glowing clouds, William found his brother sitting on the couch again, in the dark.

Now Reading:

Perdido Street Station, China Mieville

Man, I almost forgot -- I know, I know, how could I forget the Greatest Band in History -- but tonight we're going to the Tenacious D concert! Yeah! We're gonna get our asses rocked off! Whoo-hoo!!!

Umm... Sorry bout that. Got a little over-excited. The D will do that to ya.

From earlier today...

Okay, trying to get started here today. At least I was able to get up at the usual hour without any problems -- I guess it helps if I go to bed around 10 p.m. instead of midnight when I'm getting up at 5 a.m. (what a concept!). I also had Pumpkin the 16 lb. orange cat sitting next to me, ready to eat.

So I got up and noodled around on the web and messed with chapter 1 of The Prodigal Sons. I think I've been over this chapter so often that I'm sick and tired of it. It's a good chapter, has a lot going on, and introduces us to the main characters and most of the main conflicts in the book. And the next chapter will need a bit more work, as that one is in John's point of view (the other brother). His character needs more definition. I don't want people thinking he's just a loser with a bit of a drinking problem. I want him to be sympathetic in a way, but also a bit pathetic.

John is like the friend that everyone has who just keeps screwing up. Like the guy who keeps quitting his jobs because they don't suit him (okay, I admit that I've been guilty of this a coupla times!), or keeps breaking up with nice women so he can date the attractive women who treat him like dirt. I want to get inside the head of someone like that -- someone hapless and a bit clueless, someone who turns his back on good luck because that would be too easy. But his heart is mostly in the right place. Mostly. He gives in to dumb impulses too often, like the night at Jamie's apartment that signaled the end to his time in Chicago, or letting his girlfriend Andrea control him just at the point in his life when he was starting to pull everything together...

Sorry, I was just doing a little character sketching there. The novel flips point of view from William, the "good son," to John, the "prodigal son," from one chapter to the next. I feel like I have William's character pretty well defined, but there are some things about John that need work. So that's what I'll be working on this week and next. It'd be groovy if I could add another 10,000 words or so...

I also started reading Perdido Street Station after giving up on King and Straub's Black House, which literally put me to sleep on Saturday. Perdido is really good, lots of details and cool characters so far, but slow reading, like a Tim Powers book. And I keep flipping back to the map. I'm starting over on the novel, even though I was almost halfway through, and I think that I made the right choice. It's quite good.

I'm hoping to steal some concepts from Mieville and others for my anti-fantasy story/novel. I have a story idea already. We'll see if I have time to write it before November hits, and I enter novel-writing mode once again... Later!

News

mjj

	michaeljasper.net *"Another Wrecked Web Site"*
Oct 21, 2001 Adding the finishing touches... almost there... Now Playing: "O Brother Where Art Thou" Soundtrack	Well, we're back from Myrtle Beach. Whew. Lots of good food and some swimming (and yes, I did do the Lazy River, even if the water was about 50 degrees...) It was quite nice, getting away for a while, though Elizabeth and I missed the pets and were glad to get back. At least I was -- Elizabeth isn't too crazy about going back to school. The last few weeks have been nuts for both of us. I managed to re-read all of The Last of the Hand on Thursday and Friday, marking up my printouts and figuring out all that needs to be fixed. Lots of little things, mostly, and the last few chapters especially need some tweaking. I was hoping to get it all done today and sent back tomorrow, but it will have to be Thursday or so. This stuff always seems to take longer than I'd planned. Plus I took a break from work work work for a while, something I've needed to do for quite a while, and I should have more energy for the final fixes by tomorrow. It's gonna be rough, heading back to the Day Job tomorrow. Oh well... Later. mjj
Oct 17, 2001 Have I got a proposal for you... Now Playing: "Songs from an American Movie, part 1," Everclear Today's Quote: May the fire be your friend And the sea rock you gently May the moon light your way 'Til the wind sets you free. -- Shriekback	Howdy. Slept in this morning, and man was it awesome. We're going out of town for the next four days, so we were pet-less as of last night (it's a long story, but Elizabeth's mom took Whit to the kennel along with her basset hound Daisy this morning, so we brought the pets over last night -- Pumpkin's on his own the rest of the week with Judy's cat Samson, in a sort of feline boot camp). I never realized how poorly I sleep with the pets -- if Whit's not howling at the moon from one of his nightmares, Pumpkin's sleeping on or near my head or licking my face so I'll get up and feed him. So yeah, I slept in. I was going to get my novel proposals all written, but it just didn't happen. No time. I'll try and mess with them some more this weekend at the beach. But I don't plan on working the whole time. Probably a couple hours each day. The thing is, I don't consider writing working. It's hard to explain. It's just something I feel compelled to do, and something that I feel grumpy about if I don't do it. In web-surfing news, I found the website for one of my favorite bands today -- Big Head Todd and the Monsters. I was trying to find out if they were even still together, but it sounds like they are, and have a new album finally coming out, the first in 4 years. That's good to hear We've seen them live 2 or 3 times now (live music again!). "Midnight Radio" and "Sister Sweetly" are awesome albums. On that note, I'm outta here. Have a good rest of the week and talk to you later. mjj
Oct 16, 2001 Another quick change o' plans... Now Playing: "Still Life," The Connells Today's Quote: In my life I’ve been called a thief, a spy, a traitor, a warlock, an inhuman, and a murderer. All but one of those titles I will accept. I have lived long and played many roles inside and outside -- and mostly outside -- of the City. I have not cut my beard in twice the decades that you have been alive to draw breath. Yet, after all these years, I still feel the shame and anger that comes from being an exile, a ghetto dweller. I leave it up to you to decide which title does not fit me. For I am dying, and such distinctions matter not a bit to me any longer. I find this knowledge, among all else that I have learned in this life, to be immensely reassuring.	Well, to start with, the concert last night was sort of a bust. It's tough staying out late at my advanced age (ha!), especially in a hot, factory-like building like the Ritz here in Raleigh, with college and high school kids crowding around and blowing their cigarette smoke in my face. I'd be much happier listening to them on the radio, or just taking a nice nap... Which makes me wonder -- why do we need to see music live? What's the big deal? Is it that much better actually getting to see the folks who make the music we like? It never really sounds the way we're used to it sounding, so it's either better or worse. Hmm... I guess it's that human interaction element we like. But at the same time, I get really tired of crowds and being that close to other people. Especially if they are smoking or being stupid, or both. Other than that... The concert was a bit boring. The D was good, but sort of same-sounding after a while. There's only so much you can do with two guys and their acoustic guitars. I won't even talk about the opening act called BandWay other than to say that they made my fictional band Basskick look really really good. Like Beatles good. So I'm dragging a bit today, but not as badly as I'd feared. I've been buoyed up (did I spell that right??) once again. I had an agent email me, asking to see the rest of The Last of the Hand, along with any other novel proposals I may have. Yeah baby! So I'm going to go over the fantasy novel one last time this weekend, just to make sure it all holds together and I didn't leave anything out. I plan on getting it in the mail next Monday. And as for proposals, well, I got a ton of 'em! I have three works in progress I plan on sending in: The Wannoshay Cycle, The Ghetto Dwellers, and The All-Nations League. All of a sudden, I'm totally focused and know what I need to do! I have outlines in progress for all three proposals, and I'm most excited about the newest one, The Ghetto Dwellers, which has sort of sprung out of the conversations I've been following with other writers about the new kind of fantasy that we need these days. I keep on jotting down notes about this one. It's going to be cool. I even have the first 2 paragraphs written (see my Quote, left). So things are going well again. Even better now that I have a 4-day weekend coming up. Should be fun! Lazy river, here I come! Later. mjj
Oct 15, 2001 The kid is back, up at 5 a.m. again... Now Playing: "Whatever and Ever Amen," Ben Folds Five Today's Quote: After helping his father with the evening milking and walking back to the house under a blue-black sky already littered with stars and glowing clouds, William found his brother sitting on the couch again, in the dark. Now Reading: Perdido Street Station, China Mieville	Man, I almost forgot -- I know, I know, how could I forget the Greatest Band in History -- but tonight we're going to the Tenacious D concert! Yeah! We're gonna get our asses rocked off! Whoo-hoo!!! Umm... Sorry bout that. Got a little over-excited. The D will do that to ya. From earlier today... Okay, trying to get started here today. At least I was able to get up at the usual hour without any problems -- I guess it helps if I go to bed around 10 p.m. instead of midnight when I'm getting up at 5 a.m. (what a concept!). I also had Pumpkin the 16 lb. orange cat sitting next to me, ready to eat. So I got up and noodled around on the web and messed with chapter 1 of The Prodigal Sons. I think I've been over this chapter so often that I'm sick and tired of it. It's a good chapter, has a lot going on, and introduces us to the main characters and most of the main conflicts in the book. And the next chapter will need a bit more work, as that one is in John's point of view (the other brother). His character needs more definition. I don't want people thinking he's just a loser with a bit of a drinking problem. I want him to be sympathetic in a way, but also a bit pathetic. John is like the friend that everyone has who just keeps screwing up. Like the guy who keeps quitting his jobs because they don't suit him (okay, I admit that I've been guilty of this a coupla times!), or keeps breaking up with nice women so he can date the attractive women who treat him like dirt. I want to get inside the head of someone like that -- someone hapless and a bit clueless, someone who turns his back on good luck because that would be too easy. But his heart is mostly in the right place. Mostly. He gives in to dumb impulses too often, like the night at Jamie's apartment that signaled the end to his time in Chicago, or letting his girlfriend Andrea control him just at the point in his life when he was starting to pull everything together... Sorry, I was just doing a little character sketching there. The novel flips point of view from William, the "good son," to John, the "prodigal son," from one chapter to the next. I feel like I have William's character pretty well defined, but there are some things about John that need work. So that's what I'll be working on this week and next. It'd be groovy if I could add another 10,000 words or so... I also started reading Perdido Street Station after giving up on King and Straub's Black House, which literally put me to sleep on Saturday. Perdido is really good, lots of details and cool characters so far, but slow reading, like a Tim Powers book. And I keep flipping back to the map. I'm starting over on the novel, even though I was almost halfway through, and I think that I made the right choice. It's quite good. I'm hoping to steal some concepts from Mieville and others for my anti-fantasy story/novel. I have a story idea already. We'll see if I have time to write it before November hits, and I enter novel-writing mode once again... Later!
News	mjj